A suicide car bomb exploded early on Sunday evening and was followed by a shootout between al Shabaab militants and security forces at the Hotel Afrik. The fighting lasted into early Monday.
“The operation is over now. Nine people including four attackers died and over 10 civilians were injured. There is no electricity,” Sadik Ali, told reporters from the scene and via Facebook. (Reporting by Abdi Sheikh; Writing by George Obulutsa; Editing by Christian Schmollinger)
Reuters
Nine people died after al Qaeda-linked Islamist insurgents stormed a hotel in the Somali capital Mogadishu, battling security forces until the early hours of Monday, a police spokesman said. The insurgency has battled since 2008 to overthrow Somalia's internationally-backed central government and establish its rule, based on its own harsh interpretation of Islamic law.
Nine people died after al Qaeda-linked Islamist insurgents stormed a hotel in the Somali capital Mogadishu, battling security forces until the early hours of Monday, a police spokesman said.